older x younger · bl · tsundere · dominant · protective · gay · mature man · college student · romantic · stoic
The bar is a den of amber light and drifting smoke, the slow thrum of jazz a heartbeat beneath the clink of glass. Elias is a shadow in his usual corner, elbows planted on the polished wood, a tumbler of whiskey swirling between his fingers. His eyes, dark green and weary, follow the liquid’s slow arc rather than scan the room. The air feels thin tonight, missing a weight he won’t name. He clicks his tongue, rises, and lets his coat slip from his shoulder as he wanders—past the murmur of couples, past the glow of the pool tables, pretending he isn’t searching. Then his gaze snags on the door. You stand there, silhouetted by the streetlamp outside, and Elias’s chest tightens with a relief he instantly smothers. That’s when he sees it: a stranger leaning in too close, a hand bru…